The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-10
A BROOKLYN INVENTOR
Who Thinks He Has Solved the Aerial
Navigation Problem.
From, the Brookiun EaoIe.

ing with an enthusiast, a man who was
wrapped up in his inventions, his pet
schemes2 How many people in Brooklyn
have had this experience. Do you want it,
Then come with me as ] pick my way
through the Gowanus Canal region of the
city and finally arrive at row of plain,
yet neat brick tenement houses on Douglass
street, Certain papers in my possession led
me TO believe that l am in search of either
a fraud or a genius. Which will he prove
to bel The bell, is ruRg, the door is
opened and a large, fine looking man bids
me welcome. Ushefed into a parlor still
bearing traces of refinement and former
thrift, | am immediately cognizant of the
fact that | am in the presence of a man who,
If he has hobby, has one for mechanics of
some kind or other, for upon the walls hang
models of inventions, diplomas from the
American Institute; scattered about on the
tables are drawings, draughts of machines,
etc. Making known my errand, | am met
with burst of confidence that is refreshing
and an unbosoming of self that is unique.
Who is this man. Let hiia tell his own
story.
MY name is Carl Ntblfanga Peterson. l
am a native of Holstein. My more remote
ancestors were Norsemen and my immediate
ones either navigators or shipbuilders. l
couldn't very well help being sailor, you
see. When but boy of IL / shipped at
Hamburg for New Orleans and there man
aged to get a years schooling, all that |
have ever had in English. | soon shipped on
a California packet as a subordinate. In
due time | rose to the rank of master, and
for years was a trusted commander of
the largest vessels in the Pacific and Indian
Ocean trade. My life, which was pub
lished in Hamburg in 1870, gives history
of my adventures while a sailor l know
what it is to very narrowly escape falling
into the hands of cannibals; once with my
ships crew, | held at bay the entire popula-
ton of a South Sea island while waiting to
be taken off. Ere long l drifted into the
whaling service. 1t was while on one of
these voyages in the North sea in the
vicinity of Behring Straits that l became
convinced of the futility of ever expecting
to reach the North pole by ship or sled, on
water or land, and not until aerial naviga-
ton becomes an established mode of trans
portation will there ever be
a successful North pole exploring ex-
petition. After many of these whaling
voyages settled down in San Francisco and
opened machine shop, drove good bust
ness and found time to putin form and cold
metal what had hitherto been fancies of my
brain, for while on shipboard thought that
would be beneficial to navigatOrs. After
had accumulated property and gathered
together the models of several inventions
started East. ShipownerS and builders in
the East saw the worth Of my inventions
and / sold them to good advantage.
Having had life full of adventure, hay
ing made my pile, naturally turned my
face toward home and relatives and went
back to Hamburg, where opened and fitted
the country and made money without any
trouble at all l bad good deal of time to
myself and spent it in studying astronomy,
trying to solve the problem of aerial navi-
CATION, and in experimenting in the con-
struction of a self-righting life-boat I did
this latter feat in 1868 to the satisfaction of
the German Life Saving institution and the
Royal National Lifeboat Association of
London, Eng, from which | received in
1869 the annual award of e100 the first to a
foreigner. / not only built a self-righting
lifeboat propelled by oars, but self-righting
boat propelled by steam. The furnaces were
so swung that they remained vertical no
matter what the position of the boat. /
could tell some stories about those English
men, too, if | wanted to. Oh, sir, if | had
done what some men wanted me to I could
have been rolling in wealth to-day | staid
in England about five years. During my alb
sence my partner had attended to the bust
ness in Hamburg and anice trick he served me
too. One day some men walked into the
yard and, after surveying everything, told
me they wanted possession. 1t almost made
me crazy Ny nair turned white in a very
short time My partner, the scoundrel, had
cheated me in my absence, and | only saved
few thousand thalers from the wreck and
again turned my face to this country where
| had made my first money. The Yankees
are bad enough, but German scoundrels are
worse. Of course by this time | had a large
family What was to do?
From the year 1858, when whaler on
board the ship Martha, in the vicinity of
Behring Straits, l had first thought of
aerial navigation down to the present time
| have never ceased to give it my best
thought The essential and distinguishing
features of my present scheme | discovered
in 1869. All that have done since has been
to perfect and improve in minor matters.
When | arrived in this country a second
time | went right away to men with money
and | showed them my model of aerial war
ships and explained my invention. They
saw the worth of 1t and formed the Ameri-
can Aerial Navigation Company and made
me President For time we had offices at
2Sl Broadway, New York City, where
two large models of the train of airships
attracted large crowds. received a high
award at the American Institute and per-
sonal letters from Gen. Norton praising the
invention. The money necessary to build
two of these airships was not forthcoming,
however, and troubles began to spring up
in the Board of Directors. AS conse-
quence of this we had to move from our
commodious offices ON Broadway to 1862
Thirteenth street, South Brooklyn. and
after miserable life there left it, and now
whatever office the company has is here in
this room. | wish could tell you all
know. How some scoundrels are working
against me; how the directors have tried to
get ali my share of this invention away
from me.
you see this invention, if it is worth
anything at all, will revolutionize methods
of warfare. One OF my airships can hover
over any one of your great cities and de-
stroy it in an hour and you can do nothing
to prevent the destruction. To stop the
fusilade of dynamite bombs and combusti-
bles that would be carried and showered
down upon the buildings il would be neces-
sal'y to disable the ship. The same force of
gravity that would aid my projectiles
in finding terra firma would prevent
your proiectiles from reaching the alti-
tude at which the ship would operate.
The Anarchists realize thes&llue Of
my invention. The. national government
ought to own it. / have discovered a new
motive power that will be used in propelling
these ships. What it is no one knows.
discovered long ago that dynamite could be
used in proiectiles and safelyJired from